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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1989)
Looking at eating binges and other healthjnyths By Roger McKay BULIMIA NERVOSA Are young women in their early to mid-20s so obsessed with body im age and body weight that they turn to eating binges followed bv periods of fasting or rigorous dieting? A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that bulimia ner vosa is less common than popular ly believed. The study estimates the probable prevalence of the condition among American college students nationwide at about 1 percent for women and 0.2 per cent for men—compared to some early survey studies that have put the rates as high as 8-19 percent of college women and up to 5 per cent of college men. The study, which sampled stu dents at 53 universities and col leges, found that bulimia was most prevalent (2.2 percenti among undergraduate women liv ing in group housing on campus UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION (THE COMMON COLO) Any of more than 200 viruses can cause I'RI But contrary to popu lar belief, says the American College Health Association (ACHAi, coughing and sneezing are not the main reasons for its spread You pick up I'RI by touching an infected person, such as shaking that person's hand, then touching your eyes or nose I’RI viruses at tack and multiply in the cells that line the nose and throat, the ACHA says You can also pick up a cold by touching a telephone or doorknob or any other hard, nonporous sur face after an infected person has touched it. To keep the bugs at bay, the At'HA advises “Wash your hands often and avoid touching your face; use disposable tissues cold viruses can survive for hours on handkerchiefsi; eat a balanced di et, avoid prolonged contact with people w ho have colds, keep your stress level down; keep your room humidity moderate to high " CHLAMYDIA New laboratory tests are making it faster and easier to detect this serious health threat, which is caused by a unique species of bacteria called Chlamydia Ira chomalis Not usually know n is the fact that about 20-40 percent of all sexually active women have prob ably been exposed to chlamydia at some time, and any sexually ac tive woman tor man' can become infected One of the most common STDs (Sexually Transmitted Dis eases), chlamydia is more likely to infect young people with more than one sexual partner, women using birth control pills and peo pie infected with gonorrhea or an other STD According to the American College of Obstetricians and Oy necologists, symptoms in women may include burning or itching in the genital area, painful or fre quent urination and pain in the pelvic area Symptoms for men include painful urination, and burning and inflammation of the urethra 'the tulie from the bladder In all cases, it is best to see your doctor if chlamydia is sus pected OSTEOPOROSIS AND CALCIUM DEFICIENCY It'' an issue for young women and young men and nut, as usu ally believed, something just for the elderly to worry about At the University of North Cirolin* it Chapel Hill. I)r John Anderson. Director of the Department of Nutrition, is >tudying the calcium intakes and hone health of 1.200 women between the ages of Is and 25 With his colleague. Dr Frances Tylavsky, Anderson took a de tailed dietary history of each woman and with a bone densito meter measured the hone mineral content of the same two bones in each woman the spongy bone in the w rist and the radius bone of the forearm cruiled for a two year study by the Department of Ophthalmolo gy to determine whether vitamia* and minerals can slow down the progress of cataracts and macular degeneration, the most common reasons for vision decreases in people 45 or older Dr Randall Olson, chairman of the depart ment and principle investigator savs it is believed that the addi turn of itetakeratme. Vitamin (' and Vitamin E to the diet can cut down the incidence of cataracts Olson warns, however, that all vi tamins and minerals, if taken in excess, can cause life threatening complications Some experts say ’blue-blocking" lenses pro moted by many manufacturers as the ultimate sunglass lens can ac tuals harm the eyes by not allow On how to answer a job interviewer seeking information about potential absenteeism: “I'm in good health and rebound quickly. I've noticed that peo ple who miss a lot of work really don’t like their jobs or themselves very well. ” The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book by Jeffrey G. Allen (John Wiley & Sons) During adolescence, when diet mg becomes an issue, many girls replace their intake uf milk and other foods rich in calcium for oth er things, and this has an adverse effect on calcium absorption, he -,n> "This interfers severely with the proper formation of bone mass in the years when it is most es sential. because in adolescence bone mass increases at a rate of 10 percent a year' EYE NOTES At the University o( Utah, hun dreds of volunteers are being re mg true color perception Also note the darkness of a lens is not an indication of its ability to pro tect the eyes, as many of us think Kycs covered by a very dark lens could still !*■ vulnerable to ultra violet ray damage from the sun Ask for lenses with a I V inhibitor injected into the lens material Playing a major role in the latest advance in rigid gas permeable contact lenses fluorine, the anti stick ingredient in frying pans fluorine, it seems, resists protein deposits and results in greater comfort than rigid lenses oka
